I just got back from Wilmington, NC which is a must see for fans of Teen dramas (like me!) as it was the filming location for not only Dawson’s Creek, but also One Tree Hill.
Wilmington continues to be a major destination for filmmakers. Currently, the Melissa McCarthy movie Tammy and the CBS series Under The Dome are filming in town and, last year, most of Iron Man 3 was filmed there,too.
But, for those of us who loved and miss Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill, it will always be Capeside/Tree Hill.
Here’s a look at five of my favorite DC/OTH filming locations in Wilmington:
Grace St. and N Front St, Wilmington (Karen’s Cafe/Clothes Over Bros)
No One Tree Hill fan can walk up N. Front Street without immediately recognizing the storefront that served as Karen’s Cafe and later Brooke’s store, Clothes Over Bros. The store was a mainstay on the show for all nine seasons.
The River Walk/Elijah’s
If you have watched even a few episodes of either series you will immediately recognize Wilmington’s River Walk. It was used in countless episodes of both.
And, as a bonus, you’ll also get to see Elijah’s, which was Pacey’s restaurant in the D.C. finale!
Wrightsville Beach (opening credits of Dawson’s Creek)
After visiting Wrightsville Beach it is easy to see why so many scenes of both series were filmed here, including the opening credits of Dawson’s Creek. If you’re a fan of the show you will immediately recognize the Oceanic Pier – just watch out for the earworm – you won’t be able to get “I Don’t Wanna Wait” out of your head for the rest of the day!
Battleship Park (River Court)
Battleship Park was the home of the River Court on One Tree Hill for all nine years of the series. After the show ended, the basketball court was torn up, but you can check out the rest of the park. You can even see it from the River Walk.
Alderman Hall at UNCW (Capeside High)
Alderman Hall on the UNC Wilmington campus was used so frequently on Dawson’s Creek, as it was the real-life exterior of Capeside High School, that during the first couple of season’s of the show crews would be on campus at least twice a month. Today there is a plaque on a bench at the front of the building commemorating the university’s time on Dawson’s Creek.
If you can’t wait to go to Wilmington and see some of these locations for yourself, it’s not too late to enter to win a trip to Wilmington! Check out this link for all of the details!
Just one little correction, Johnnie Mercer’s Pier isn’t the one from the Dawson’s Creek credits, it’s actually the Oceanic Pier, which is further down Wrightsville Beach. It’s undergoing construction right now from storm damage, so it’s not really that recognizable, but it’s the one from the credits.
Interesting, it did look a little different but it has been so long everything looks a little different. I checked at least half a dozen different resources and they all said this was the one. We were at the other one and from underneath they do look pretty much the same so I can see that. The beach area is beautiful, I can see why they used it so often.
It’s clearly a wooden pier in the credits, not sure why resources were saying it’s Johnnie Mercer’s!
sorry for the confusion. there is one shot of Michelle Williams where she is standing on the beach and the pier does kinda look like Mercers, I didn’t think twice about it myself honestly, so I can see why people think that, but after replaying it the scene where Joshua and James hang off the pier you can tell it is wood. sorry again, I’ll make a note when I have a chance, sorry.
No problem! I haven’t ever noticed the shot of Michelle Williams. And I wasn’t getting on you. I’m in Wilmington, and I overhear so many people saying the wrong thing about filming locations. Not your fault at all, i just hate that wrong info is being put out there. I was once downtown and overheard one of the filming location tour guides and he was pointing out the wrong places to people. I wanted to jump in there and correct everything he said.
Actually I think you are both right. After watching every season it seems as though the very first season shows the cement pier, and then the very last season actually shows a quick snap of the country one but all the rest have just the wooden one in it.
actually the pier that is in the opening that is concrete is the Southport Fishing Pier❤️
I AM A DIE HARD DAWSONS CREEK FAN❤️
Thank you for correcting everyone! I’ve been there a thousand times and you can clearly see the restaurant and the waterfront park in Southport. Sadly, I feel so much better now.